The Chicago Cubs’ pitching staff has underachieved so far this season – except when they face the Milwaukee Brewers. Having shut out the Brewers three times in five meetings, the Cubs will look for Yu Darvish to keep visiting Milwaukee’s bats in check Friday afternoon in the second contest of their four-game series.
After some rocky performances early on, Cubs starters have posted three straight quality starts after Kyle Hendricks scattered four hits over seven innings in Thursday’s 1-0 triumph. The loss snapped the Brewers’ eight-game winning streak and marked their fourth shutout defeat of the season. Darvish will try to keep Milwaukee's hitters on their heels as he looks for his first win with Chicago. He has posted only one quality start in his first four outings - but it came at Milwaukee on April 7, when he struck out nine while allowing just one run and two hits over six innings.
TV: 2:20 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), NBCS Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers LH Brent Suter (1-2, 5.68 ERA) vs. Cubs RH Yu Darvish (0-2, 6.86)
Suter was victorious in his season debut but is winless in four starts since. The 28-year-old endured his toughest outing yet last time out, yielding five runs and eight hits over five innings of a no-decision against Miami on Saturday. Suter is 1-1 with a 4.19 ERA in seven career games (three starts) versus the Cubs but will make his first start at Wrigley Field.
The fifth inning has been Darvish’s undoing in his first four starts with the Cubs, as he has allowed only three runs over the first four frames but 12 in the fifth. The 31-year-old from Japan failed to get out of the fifth on Saturday at Colorado, as he walked four for the second straight game and was charged with five runs in 4 2/3 innings. Darvish is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two career starts against the Brewers.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cubs 2B Javier Baez (18-for-42, three homers, 14 RBIs) and CF Albert Almora Jr. (15-for-39, one, five) are riding career-high nine-game hitting streaks.
2. Brewers 1B-OF Ryan Braun has recorded 101 hits at Wrigley Field, joining Joey Votto (102) as the only active visiting players with at least 100.
3. Chicago LF Kyle Schwarber homered for the team's only run on Thursday and is 15-for-41 with five blasts and 14 RBIs in his last 12 games.